And Henceforth You Shall Call Everwood Home
by A Sort of Anomaly
Summary: Meet Charli, a 17 year old city girl with enough snark to power the country. Forced to leave her city life when her father receives a teaching postion in Everwood, she forges friendships with Everwood's finest...and not so finest. New chapter up!
1. Transition into Foreign Territory

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Rating: Right now, it's PG-ish, but the rating may raise in future chapters.

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Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I cannot take claim of ownership of Everwood. It belongs to the good folks at the WB, the production company Everwood Utah, Inc., and other persons.

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Summary: Oh no, not another, "A new person moves to Everwood and changes the life of [Insert name of Everwood character of interest]" story. Before you write this off, I assure you that I'm trying to make this not fall into that category, but since I don't have much foresight, it might happen. I haven't read many Everwood fanfiction stories, so I don't know what has exactly happened in other "new person" stories, but I hope mine's different.

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Author's Notes: Hey there folks, some of you might read this and go, "Hey, wait a minute, I know I've read this before." Yeah, all five of you. Seriously though, I started this story many months ago then sorta just stopped. However, after watching the season premiere, I was inspired and I've decided to revamp the story. It now takes place during the season premiere. After reviewing the episode, I've decided that the memorial service took place on the Sunday before Memorial Day. I think it took place at night, but to make my story work it happened around noon. Truthfully, I doubt Amy would do a meet and greet with the new neighbors later that day or be slightly cheerful, but for all intents and purposes, she puts a pause on her wallowing and does. Well, here's my first chapter revamped. I hope it doesn't bore you to pieces.

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17 year-old Charlene Whitman pressed her head against the car window as she drove with her family into the unfamiliar town known as Everwood. A deep sigh escaped from her mouth as she watched the townsfolk of the leafy hamlet walk down the sidewalks on the warm September late afternoon as they drove down Main Street.

"Oh come on Char, it's not the end of the world," said her mother, Nicole, who sat in the passenger seat in front of her.

"Yeah Char, it's not the end of the world," chimed in her youngest brother, Riley.

"This coming from the women who complained for two weeks about moving to some drab little country town and a kid who for the same two same weeks whined about leaving all his friends behind? I hardly think you two are ones to judge my disposition on this move," muttered Charlene.

"Char, don't take your frustrations out on your mom and Riley," scolded her father, Brian.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to your mom and brother."

"Sorry mom. Sorry Ri," Charlene apologized with false sweetness, which went unnoticed by her parents. She deeply sighed again. "Tell me one more time why we had to drive to Colorado instead of simply taking a plane to Denver, then taking a bus to Everwood, and then have both of our cars delivered here?"

"Think of it as expanding your horizons," replied Brian.

"I would have preferred "expanding my horizons" on a plane, thank you very much."

"I second that," the older of her two younger brothers, Alexander, muttered next to her.

"What is with the extra snark today, young lady? Did you not receive an efficient amount of your daily caffeine intake this morning?" her dad teased her.

"I'm sorry, moving me to some two-bit mountainside town tends to have some strange effect on me."

"Don't worry Char, I bet you'll soon enjoy living here," Nicole encouraged her daughter.

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one starting at a new high school the same day your father starts his new job as a teacher there."

"Don't be melodramatic. No one's going to harass you for being the daughter of a teacher."

"Maybe not, but the new kids tend to be shunned anyway."

"Sweetie, I bet you'll fit right in."

"I don't care about fitting in. Hell, I don't care if they think I'm the weirdest kid this side of the Rocky Mountains. I just hope that I can learn to coexist with these miscreants until I am free to leave them in two years."

"That kind of attitude will not win the crowd over," commented Brian.

"Who says I want to win them over?" huffed Charlene.

This time a deep sigh came from Charlene's parents, deciding it would be best to just drop the discussion since they were just running in circles. Charlene pulled her headphones over her ears, then pushed play on her iPod as she buried herself into the book she was currently reading, and she and her family rode the rest of the drive to their new home in silence.

From the main part of the town, what one might call the "downtown area," it was only a ten-minute drive to their house. Charlene tucked her book into her purse, and then climbed out of the car so she could observe her house. From the outside it looked like a quaint, two-story house. The light yellow shade that covered the house looked like a new coat of paint that had only recently been painted. She followed after the rest of her family who climbed up the steps that led up the path, which in turn led to the short staircase of steps that led up the porch. After her parents opened the door, the five of them stepped inside the place they would call home in Everwood.

With music flowing loudly in her ears courtesy of her iPod, she left her parents and brothers who stood in the foyer so she could explore the house on her own. She discovered the house was just as quaint on the inside as it was on the outside. Located on the main floor was a dining room, a kitchen, a living room, a small den/study, and a restroom and on the second floor was two smaller sized bedrooms, a bathroom, and a master bedroom with a walk-in closet and separate bathroom. In the basement, which a door to it was located in the kitchen, was laundry room and a large space for whatever the owner of the house wished to do with it. By the time she finished her journey through the house and found her way back to the front foyer, Charlene discovered that the moving van with all of the possessions and their other car had arrived.

She walked outside to find her parents talking with one of the four burly moving men who were hired to haul their things from their hometown to this town and move them into their new home. Since there was no furniture inside the house, Charlene decided that she should sit on the porch swing, even though it was less than warm outside. She pulled her book back out and continued reading, not paying any more attention to her parents or the movers. After about a half an hour, Alexander tried to get her attention. Charlene removed her headphones and looked up at her brother.

"What's up Xan?"

"Mom wants us to pick which room is yours and which one Riley and I have to share."

"I'll take the one on the left side of the house when you walk down the hall from the stairs."

"You already picked one?"

"Yeah. It's the smaller of the two. I figured since there were two of you, I should be nice and give it to you guys."

"Well that's sure decent of you."

"Well, they don't call me chivalrous Charli for nothing," joked Charlene.

"God, I hope no one calls you chivalrous Charli. That would be way too cheesy," shuddered Alexander in mock disgust.

"I hope no one calls me that either."

"I'll go tell mom your decision."

"Thanks."

Alexander left her on the porch and went back inside to inform their mom on the decision. Another hour had passed before Charlene's reading was interrupted again. From the corner of her eye she saw three figures approach her. She pulled her headphones down so they were around her neck, then she looked up from her book and at her three guests. In front of her were a middle-aged couple and their daughter who appeared to be about her age. The woman looked like the only of the three who had willingly come over. 

"Hello. Can I help you?" Charlene asked the three.

"Hello dear. We're the Abbots. We live next door to you. We just stopped by to welcome your family to the neighborhood," said the woman cheerfully.

"Well that's very neighborly of you. I believe my parents are just inside. Come on in and I will get them for you."

"That would be lovely, dear."

Charlene got up from the porch swing and strolled past the Abbots to go inside. She opened the door, and then the four of them stepped inside of the house.

"Mom? Dad?"

"We're in the kitchen," replied her mom's voice from a distance.

"Excuse me for one moment," Charlene said to her new guests before slipping away to the kitchen. There, she found her parents sorting through the kitchenware.

"Guess who's here?"

"Who?" asked her mom.

"It appears to be the welcoming committee; although, only one actually seems welcoming. They're in the foyer right now."

Charlene turned and walked towards the foyer, followed by her parents. When they arrived in the foyer, they found the Abbots waiting there. The male Abbot appeared a little annoyed to be there, and the young Abbot girl looked like she was about to have a meltdown.

"Mom, dad, these are the Abbots. They are our new neighbors. I didn't catch their first names, though."

"Hello, I'm Rose, mayor of Everwood," introduced the woman. "This is my husband Harold and this is our daughter Amy."

Charlene's mother extended her hand to Rose.

"I'm Nicole Whitman. This is my husband Brian, and this is our daughter Charlene. Our boys are upstairs. Charlene, why don't you go upstairs and get them? They're in their new room."

"Okay."

Charlene hustled up the nearby stairs and went into the first door to the right where the boys' room was.

"Guys, mom wants you to go downstairs to make nice with the new neighbors," Charlene told her brothers.

"Already?" sighed Alexander. "Man, that welcoming committee sure works fast here."

Charlene chuckled at her brother's comment, then lead the two boys downstairs to find that her parents and their guests moved into the makeshift living room. Quickly aware of their presence, Brian takes the opportunity to introduce his sons to the Abbots.

"These are our two sons, Alexander and Riley. Boys, this is Mayor Abbot, Dr. Abbot, and their daughter Amy."

"Hello," Alexander said politely as he walked towards the two adults to shake their hands. "Nice to meet you."

"Same," smiled Rose.

"Well, as much fun as this is, I'm going to have to excuse myself so I can start unpacking my things, seeing as the movers have finished moving all of our stuff inside."

With that, Charlene turned her heal, and then walked up the nearby staircase to her new room. The Abbots and Charlene's parents watched Charlene's retreating form, before turning their attention back to each other.

"You're the new math teacher at County High, right?" Amy asked Brian, forcing herself to make polite conversation for the first time since her arrival at the house.

"Yes, I am. Are you a student there?"  
"Yeah. I'm going to be junior this fall."

"Amy, why don't you go upstairs and see if Charlene could you use your help?" suggested Rose.

Amy's eyes widen, giving her mom an incredulous look, which was returned by a semi-threatening glance from her mom.

"Oh, you don't have to Amy, I'm sure Char can manage on her own until the boys can help her," Nicole assured her

"It's fine. I'd love to help," she forced herself to say politely.

"Well, that's very sweet of you. I hope all the people in Everwood are as kind as you guys."

Amy strained a smile, then started to walk up the stairs that Charlene had just trekked up. As she ascended the stairs, she heard the murmurs of her mother continuing a discussion with the Whitmans. She slowly walked down the hall, pondering which door went to Charlene's. All but one of the doors was open and she heard the faint sound of some girl band she couldn't place. She heard someone singing along with the song. Amy knocked on the door, which made the second voice abruptly stop. She heard footsteps walk towards the door. 

"Look, I'm sorry if I seemed rude, mom, but" started Charlene as she slightly opened the door, but cut her sentence short when she realized it was Amy, not her mother who had been her visitor. "Oh, it's you."

"Nice to see you too," joked Amy.

"Sorry. What do you want?" she asked. "Okay, now I sound rude again. Damn, I really need to work on my etiquette."

Amy regarded Charlene strangely for a moment.

"Once you meet Ephram, I think I might have to look out for my title," stated Amy, referring to Ephram calling her the strangest girl he's ever met, but of course Charlene wouldn't understand the reference.

"Ephram? Title? What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Anyway, the reason I came up here is because my mom suggested that I could help you with your unpacking."

"In other words, she gave you that parental look that said, "you better do what I say and play nice with the new kid otherwise an unspeakable wrath will fall upon your head"?"

"Basically. But, I really don't mind helping you, Charlene."

"Call me Charli."

"Alright, Charli, what can I do to help your unpacking process?"

"Well, if you don't mind, could you help me move my desk?"

"Sure."

Charli swung the door open the rest of the way open and then walked over to her desk. Amy followed after her until she too was standing next to the desk.

"Okay, it's not really that heavy since I emptied all the crap that was dwelled in the drawers and whatnot before I left, so it hopefully won't be that difficult to move."

"Okay. Where do you want it?"

"In front of that window."

Amy went on the opposite side of the desk, then she and Charli picked the piece of furniture and moved it to the window.

"So, was that you singing?" Amy asked as they positioned the desk "just right," underneath the window.

If Charli were the blushing type, then her face would have been beat red at that exact moment, but she wasn't.

"Oh, you heard that?"

"Yeah. You're pretty good. Did you take voice lessons in" Amy trailed off, not knowing where they she was from.

"Portland."

"Portland, Oregon?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, well, did you take voice lessons in Portland?"

"Nah, I don't have the patience or the tolerance for lessons. I took piano lessons for like three days and quit because the teacher wouldn't move past the black keys. If that's any indication, I don't think voice lessons are for me. Besides, with my luck, I'd get some instructor like that damn British bastard of a judge from American Idol."

"I see," chuckled Amy, finding that despite the event that took place that day, her mood wasn't completely darkened.

"So, Amy, what do you like to do, you know, when you're not being a Good Samaritan by helping out the new people in town?"

"I dance."

"Ooh, a dancer. What kind?"

"Ballet."

"Figures. You seem like someone full of grace and poise," observed Charli, making ballerina-like gestures with her hands.

"Thanks, I think."

Amy watched as Charli walked to a box and pick up with ease.

"So how old are your brothers?" Amy asked Charli as she brought the box to the desk.

"Well, the two I live with are 13 and 8."

"Wait, you have more?"

"Yeah. Two more. Both are older and away at college."

"How old are they?"

"They're 19."

"Twins?"  
"Yep."

"So, you're the middle child and only girl? Well, unless, do you have older sisters?"

"No sisters. I'm sadly the only girl. Stuck in the middle no less. What about you? Are you an only child?"

"No, I have an older brother."

"Ah, I see. And why didn't he join you and your parents in the meet and greet?"

"Bright isn't exactly the 'nice to meet you, welcome to Everwood,' kind of guy."

"Oh."

"So, your dad is going be a teacher at the high school, right?"

"Yeah, unfortunately for me."

"It can't be that horrible."

"It was bad enough that my dad was a high school teacher in Portland, but at least it wasn't my high school."

"No one's going to treat you differently because your dad's a teacher at the school, well, unless none of the kids in his class like him."

"Well that's comforting."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"I hope so."

When Charli and Amy finished unpacking all the things that belonged on the desk, they then moved the dresser to one side of the room.

"So, who's this Ephram you were talking about earlier? Your boyfriend?"

"Ephram, my boyfriend?" Amy laughed, uncomfortably. "No. Ephram's just my friend."

"Right," replied Charli, not really believing her.

"I don't have a boyfriend right now. I did for awhile, but he's gone now."

"Moved away?"

Instead of a reply, Amy weakly shook her head. Charli noticed the tears forming in her eyes and mentally berated herself. Her eyes quickly widen as she realized the implication in what Amy was saying.

"I'm sorry. Foot insert in mouth."

"It's okay, you didn't know."

There was an awkward silence in the air as each tried to figure out what to say. 

"When did you lose him, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Before the summer started. We had a memorial for him earlier today."

"Oh. Hold on, so you went to a memorial service today, and yet you're still here today, making nice with the neighbors? Man, do I admire your strength."

Amy fidgeted under Charli's pensive stare. Suddenly a piece of tucked away information re-ignited in Charli's mind as she remembered two articles she read early that year.

"Wait, are you Amy Abbott girlfriend of Miracle Boy Colin Hart?"  
"Ummyeah."  
"Wow. I read that article earlier this year in _New York Magazine_. _The Miracle of Everwood._ It was an amazing story."

"Yeah, well"  
Another uncomfortable silence fell over the two girls, and both tried to figure out what to do to end it.

"So, what else can I do to help?" Amy asked finally, breaking through the tension.

"You know, you don't have to stay and help. I totally would understand if you want to go home."

"It's fine, I want to help you."

"Are you sure?"

"It'll help take my mind of things."

"Okay, if you're sure. You can help me put my bed frame together."

"I'm not sure about that, things that are assembly required and me don't really mix well."

"Don't worry, I just need you to hold the bottom part up for me while I screw on the legs."

"Okay"

Charli grabbed a screwdriver and wrench from her desk, then walked over to the bed frame followed by Amy. She instructed Amy while she attached the legs to the rest of the frame. Within a few minutes, Charli and Amy were finished putting the bed together, and then they moved the frame nearby the desk, into one corner of the room. After tossing the mattress on top of the frame, Charli sat on top of it, while Amy sat in the rolling chair that belonged to the desk. Amy glanced around the room at the labeled boxes that took up a lot of the room on the floor. She noticed that quite a few of the boxes were labeled 'For Charli's Entertainment.'

"What's in those boxes?" she asked, nudging to the boxes in question.

"Oh, those just have all my CDs, books, movies, video games, and board games. Basically all the necessities I have to make sure I don't die of boredom."

"Well, it appears you have a lot of things to keep you entertained."

"You have no idea. I was going to bring my dozens of magazines, but my mom made me recycle them, so I gave them to my art teacher so she could give her classes something to use for their collages that wasn't published before their birth."

"I see."

"Speaking of entertainment, what does one do in Everwood do for fun?"

"Make cynical observations?"

"Wow, I guess I'll fit in here after all."

Amy grinned at her new potential friend. Charli kind of remind Amy of Ephram, except of course Charli was a girl, and there would be far less complications in the forging of their friendship.

"So, are you starting school with the rest of us on Tuesday?"

"Yep."

"So, they're only giving you a day and a half to adjust to life in a new town before making you go to school? Why didn't you guys during summer break instead of right as it ended?"

"Well, firstly on the only getting one day to adjust, my parents seem to think that I don't need much time to transition into a new life. You'd think as someone who sees the torturers that are your fellow classmates everyday in action, my father would have an ounce of sympathy for my lack of enthusiasm to return to school without the time to adjust to the town surrounding it," ranted Charli. "And secondly, we didn't move during the break because my parents felt we should get to spend our summer vacation with our friends in Portland. Anyway, my dad's been in town though for about a week and a half though, setting things up at the school. But, seriously, do you have any idea how much this sucks? It's is my senior year and I have to readjust to an already built social structure."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I'll be there if you need help."

"Thanks."

Charli stood up the bed, then walked over to bookshelf so she could move it nearby the desk. She lifted up the small bookshelf, and started to head for the desk.

"Need help with that?"

"No, I've got it."

Shortly, Charli got the bookshelf to the preferred destination, then pushed a few boxes of her entertainment things next to it. She plopped down on the ground, then opened one of them up. As Charli started to place some books on one shelf, Amy got up from her chair, then sat down next to her.

"Do you need it in a specific order?"

"Me? Organize something? Now that's funny."

"Not an alphabetizer, I take it?"

"Oh, I try. Every time I clean my room, I take the time to try to sort my books, CDs, and movies so they each are arranged alphabetically, but after a couple weeks, the A's are with the Z's, I place my Linkin Park CD before my Backstreet Boys CD; general chaos ensues."

"Well, that's no good."

"Exactly. So I figure, why bother? Let it be chaotic to begin with, that way it's less work for me."

"Spoken like a true slacker."

"Well, I didn't get an A in Slacker 101 for nothing."

Amy chuckled as she opened another box and helped Charli place things on the shelf.

"So, what grade are you in?" Charli asked Amy.

"I'll be a junior."

"Cool. So you're what, 15? 16?"

"16."

"16? I remember when I was that young."

"Right. And exactly how old are you?"

"Okay, so maybe it was only a little over a year and a half ago"

"Wow, that long ago, huh?"

"Seems like ages."

A new song started to play on her stereo, and she hopped up from the ground then turned the volume up. She sat back down and started to sing along to the song. For the next couple of hours, she and Amy spent most of the time listening to random CDs from Charli's vast collection while putting away Charli's things. Amy focused on her tasks, and tried not to think about other things in her life. As Charli put up her wall clock onto on of the walls, Amy glanced at it and read the time. 

"Is that the correct time?" Amy asked Charli.

"Uh, in Pacific Time, why?"

Amy looked outside and realized it had already gotten dark. She had spent three hours there helping Charli, and it was now 6:13, well 5:13 according to Charli's clock.

"I should be getting home, it's probably almost time for dinner."

"Wow, a family that eats before 7:00. If only my family followed such rural eating rituals."

"It was nice meeting you, Charli. Oh, before I forget, tomorrow at the Everwood Pool there's this annual Memorial Day slash end of summer luau. You and your family should come."

"Sounds fun. Maybe I'll make an appearance."

"Great. See you later, then."

"See ya."

At that, Amy walked out of Charli's room and downstairs to leave for home. Charli glanced around her room and tried to think of any other things that need to be done, but couldn't think of anything at the moment. She switched her stereo to the radio, and scanned for a good radio station. On one station, her favorite song to dance to at the moment, Justin Timberlake's _Love Don't Love Me_, so she turned the volume up and started to dance around her room. After a while, she danced to her desk to grab a book that was on it. She glanced out the window, and in the window directly across from hers in the Abbot house, she noticed a guy around her age staring at her. She narrowed her eyes at him, which made him smirk back at her. She opened her window and motioned for him to do the same. He opened his window, then leaned on the windowsill.

"Yes?" he asked innocently.

"You know, in some countries, they gouge a person's eyes out for peeking into other people's windows."

"Well good thing were not in some countries. Besides, I wasn't peeking. I simply glanced out of my window and noticed you gallivanting around in your room. Nice moves by the way," he smirked again.

"I was not gallivanting," she said in mock disgust.

"Whatever you say."

"Stop smirking."

"I'm not smirking."

"I know a smirk when I see one, and right now one is spread across your damn face."

Before he could reply, Charli heard the faint sound of Amy's voice yelling, "Bright, dinner's ready!" from the room the guy she now assumed as Bright was perching out of.

"Well I've been summoned. I really enjoyed this little chat of ours," said Bright, smirking one last time before closing his window and walking out of sight.

As Bright disappeared out of her sight, Charli stared in astonishment, annoyed she didn't get the last quip in. She closed her window, then turned to walk out of her room to go downstairs to grab a bite to eat. When she arrived in the kitchen and opened the fridge, she groaned at the discovery that no one had gone grocery shopping yet.

"Mom!" she yelled through the house.

"Upstairs in my bedroom!"

She walked upstairs to her parent's new bedroom and found her mom putting away clothes into the closet.

"No food."

"I know. We're going into town as soon as I'm done putting away my clothes to get groceries and then eat at this diner the Abbots told us about."

"Oh, okay, well could you move a little quicker, because I'm starving?"

"Yes, ma'am," mock saluted her mom.

"Cute," Charli replied sarcastically before turning and walking out of her parents' room to her own.

Upon arrival to her room, she went into her closet and grabbed a coat from it, then grabbed her purse before walking downstairs to wait for the rest of her family to finish getting ready to leave. She waited about ten minutes before the four other members of her family came down into the foyer to leave. They all left their house, hopped into the car, then drove off to the downtown area to get groceries and eat dinner.

  
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TBCSo, what did y'all think? Should I quit while I'm behind? Is it something I should pursue continuing? Is there even an ounce of potential? Do me a favor, and tell me in the form of a review, please. Negative or positive, I can take itI hope.


	2. The End of Summer, the Beginning of Hell

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Disclaimer: Still don't own Everwood

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Author's Note: Just so this is clear, I wrote the first chapter and the second half of the second chapter before Colin emerged from his coma then later died and before Bright started to become less of a jerk to Ephram. So, that being said, I've had to make some changes in the part where Charli goes to school. When I originally wrote this, Charli started school right after winter break, so it was in the middle of the school year. In this, she starts right along with everyone else. Anyway, it was a little difficult, but I made most of the appropriate needed changes. Also, I started to write this before Laynie was even mentioned in Everwood, so any similarities between my original character are purely coincidental.

Thank you RavenHawk1 and MariCareBear for reviewing. Feedback is always appreciated. I hope people follow your wonderful example and make time to review. (HINT, HINT).

On with the story:

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Hours after coming home from shopping for groceries, most of the members of the Whitman family were sound asleep. Charli, however, at 10 PM, was busy undergoing a plan she had. She knew her parents wouldn't be pleased with her, but she had been wanting to do it for a while, and since she no longer had her work dress code to stop her, she was finally able to dye her hair. After bleaching several streaks into her dark brown locks, she dyed her hair with a red hair dye for dark hair she bought prior to leaving Portland. The color was called fiery red, and was supposedly a "natural" looking red, not a crayon-type color red. It wasn't until after she finished washing her hair with conditioner and successfully dying her hair that she finally decided it was time to go to bed. She had been so tired that she hadn't really had time to inspect the results.

After she woke up the next morning to the sound of her stereo, she rushed to the mirror she had hung on the closet door to check on her hair. As she glanced at her reflection, she ran a hand through her short newly red hair, grinning at the outcome. It was a little redder where she had put the streaks than she envisioned it, but it still looked good. She walked out of her room and walked to the bathroom, which she hoped was empty. Luckily it was, so she grabbed a towel from the linen closet, then went back into the bathroom to take a shower.

After she got back to her room from taking the shower, Charli walked to her dresser and changed into some casual clothes. Once she was finished getting dressed, she trotted downstairs and found her way into the kitchen where her brothers and parents were already located. Ignoring their openly obvious gapes, Charli moved to one of the cabinets to get the things she needed for cereal.

"What did you to your hair?" she heard her mom ask.

"It's not like I dyed it electric blue or pink."

"Did you do this because you're mad that we moved?" asked her dad.

"No. I dyed my hair because I finally can do it now that I don't have the movie theatre restricting my appearance."

"Okay, well, as long as it's not a twisted revenge tactic."

"It's not."

"Good."

"Besides it doesn't look that bad or unnatural."

"I think it looks cool," commented Riley.

"Thanks bud," Charli said, ruffling up his hair.

"So, what are you kids doing on your last day of freedom?" her mom asked.

"Absolutely nothing."

"Well, the Abbotts invited us to go to this luau party at the community pool, and I thought it might be fun.

"Sounds good. Amy told me about that yesterday. What do you think, kiddo?" Charli asked Riley.

"Sounds good," Riley echoed her previous statement.

"What about you Alex?" asked her dad.

"Whatever. Sounds fine."

"It's settled than," said their mom cheerfully. "It starts three, so we have lots of time."

The family continued to eat the breakfast, and after awhile, they split up to do various activities to pass the time. When three o'clock rolled around, the Whitman's were ready for the luau. Heads turned as they walked into the swimming center, taking in the new unfamiliar faces. Whispers of, "Oh, that's the new high school teacher and his family," were spread around the area quickly. The family, aware of the whispers, ignored them and went to one side of the pool to claim a spot.

Instead of jumping into the pool right away, Charli decided to lounge in the sun listening to tunes on her iPod. She stripped off her shirt to reveal a light blue bikini top and left on her Hawaiian print shorts that were over her bikini bottoms. After lying back on a lounge chair, she closed her eyes and relished in the feel of the sun hitting her skin. Time passed, and soon she felt her sun being blocked by something. She removed one side of her headphones.

"You're blocking my sun," she said to the figure blocking her light without opening her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't realize it was YOUR sun," she heard a slightly familiar male voice reply sarcastically.

Curious, she opened one eye to find her new neighbor was the assailant who had formed a shadow over her.

"Oh, it's you."

"Don't sound too excited."

Charli shut her one eye, and placed the headphone back over her ear as she willed Bright to leave. Unfortunately, the sun she was expecting never shone in her face. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she pulled the headphones off her ears and put them around her neck.

"Did you want something?" she asked him, not bothering to open her eyes again.

"No, I'm just watching the swimmers, making sure no one drowns."  
"What, are you a lifeguard?"

"Uh, actually, yeah, I am."  
She opened both of her eyes this to get another look at Bright then realized for the first time he was sporting a lifeguard uniform, whistle and all. Her eyes roamed his uniform up to his face to find an amused smirk gracing his face.

"Okay, so you're a lifeguard, that doesn't mean you need to obstruct my rays."  
"I get a good view of the pool from here."

She looked at the pool and saw that it wasn't the best view if he was concerned about the swimmers in the pool. However it was the best view to watch the gaggle of sunbathing teenage girls poolside on lounge chairs.

"Sure you do. Shouldn't your view be set on the people who you might need to rescue instead of a bunch of bikini clad girls? I mean, I know that's probably the only reason you're a lifeguard, but what if someone drowns on your watch?"

"No one's going to drown."

"You say that now, but what if when you're ogling the girls on your right, some kid to your left slips and nosedives into the pool, meeting his untimely demise?"

"Will you stop talking to me? You're messing with my concentration."

"Oh, we couldn't have that now, could we?"

Bright ignored her comment and the two fell in a silence for a few minutes. Charli realized that Bright wasn't giving her sunlight back anytime soon, so she decided to leave her spot and get herself something to drink. She grabbed her purse, then got up to move to the snack bar without saying a word to Bright. Out of the corner of his eye, Bright watched her Charli walk away from him. He smiled to himself, glad he found a way to crawl under the new neighbor's skin. After his encounter with her last night, Bright had asked his parents and Amy about his new neighbors, trying not to let on that he was really just trying to find out information about the girl. He found out her name was Charlene but goes by Charli and she was in his grade. He was intrigued by Charli and decided he would get to know her, but not before messing with her first.

After a couple of minutes, Bright noticed a little boy around eight years old steal the lounge chair Charli had been in. He recognized him as the little boy who had walked in with Charli earlier and he assumed the kid was her little brother.

Bright walked up to the little boy and crouched next to him.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?"

"Riley. Why?"

"Your sister's Charli right?"

"Yeah, why?"  
"Well, Riley, you wanna know what would be really funny?"

"What?" asked Riley, really excited to hear this big kid's suggestion.

"Those kids over there have some squirt-guns and you could ask to borrow it, then spray your sister with it."

"That would be pretty funny."

"So, what do you say kid?"  
"Sounds cool. My sister would be so mad."

Without another word, Riley ran off to a group of near by kids to put Bright's plan into action. Not long after, Charli sashayed back to her seat with a fruity drink concoction in her hand. As she sat back down in her seat, she noticed Bright was smirking again.

"What's so funny?"  
"You'll see."  
Charli rolled her eyes at his cryptic reply, but decided not to interrogate him. She was too busy enjoying her drink to notice a group of boys including her brother Riley surround her with squirt guns in their hands. However, they did catch her attention when all of a sudden water started squirting at her from all directions. She screamed in shock as she found herself douched in water from all directions. She looked around to finally notice the boys with the squirt guns. Apparently when asking the boys if he could borrow a squirt gun, he explained to them why he needed one, and they decided to join in on the sister-torture action. Bright, laughing the hardest out of everyone around, earned a death glare from Charli. At last she noticed her little brother was one of the little scoundrels who had decided to bring the cold chlorine water to her.

"You are so dead, pipsqueak," she growled to her brother before standing back up from her seat.

Her little brother's eyes widen as he realized he hadn't fully thought out his brilliant plan. It wouldn't be his newfound friends that would have to endure the wrath of his older sister, it would be just little ole' him.

"Uh oh," he squeaked before he started to sprint away from his sister's grasp.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for his sister to catch up with him nearby the pool. She lifted him up in the air, then hung him upside down.

"You have something to say, Riley?"  
"I'm sorry. I thought it would be funny Charli, but it wasn't my idea, I swear."

"Whose was it?"  
"That lifeguard guy who was by the chair you were in."

Her eyes widened as she realized who put her brother behind the prank. She put her brother back on the ground.

"You're so lucky I have bigger fish to fry," she told him, poking him lightly in the chest.

"Yeah, yeah. But you gotta admit Charli, it was pretty funny," laughed Riley.

Charli gave him a warning glare, wiping the smile off his face. As her brother ran off to laugh with his new friends, Charli glanced around the pool for the evil mastermind. She should have realized that something bad was about to happen when he replied, "You'll see." She soon spotted him talking to a couple of girls on the other side of the pool. An evil smile spread across her face as she came up with a plan to get even with him.

She circled the pool and soon Bright's back was to her. She quietly crept up behind him and used the fact his attention was occupied at the moment to her advangtage. When she was arm's length away from him, she outstretched her arms and pushed him into the pool. Everyone nearby laughed as he plunged into the water. A smirk of satisfaction graced her face as his head bobbled above the water while he waded to the nearby ladder to climb out. As he climbed further up the ladder Charli appeared in his line of sight with a smug look on her face and a towel in her hand.

"Have a nice dip?" she asked him when he finally was fully out of the pool.

"Cute."

"I thought so."

As he stepped away from the pool, he peeled off his wet shirt revealing his muscled upper body. For a split second Charli found herself gawking at his toned chest, but quickly pulled herself out of drool-mode. Bright, catching her look, smiled slightly at the fact she was checking him out. Noticing his self-satisfied smile, Charli tossed the towel at Bright's head but he caught it in the air before it got to him. 

"I would thank you, but seeing as you're the reason I need a towel in the first place, I don't find it necessary," said Bright as he dried his hair with the towel.

"You're welcome anyway."

There was a short silence between the two before Bright broke it.

"So, I'm guessing your brother ratted me out?"

"Uh, yeah. It was you or him, and obviously he wasn't going to sacrifice himself."

"I don't blame the kid. I probably would have done the same thing in his position."

There was a pause in their conversation, which was quickly filled by Bright.

"Your dad's the new math teacher at the high school, right?"

"Yeah. He's old college buddies with the principal, so when the position opened up, my dad was the first choice."

"Interesting."

"Charlene Lorelei Whitman!" she heard a female voice yell from behind her, interrupting their conversation.

"Uh oh, I think I'm in trouble."

Charli turned to see the angry figure of her mom striding towards her.

"What did you do? You know, besides push your neighbor into a pool?"  
"I hung my little brother upside-down by the pool."

"Ah. Well, no wonder he was quick to rat me out. But from the looks of it, I wasn't the only one he ratted on."

"Yeah, yeah. I better go and convince my mom the little bugger deserved it."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you around then."

"Count on it."

Charli smiled at Bright before turning to face her mother and whatever punishment she would have to fend off. Bright watched Charli as she exuberantly talked to her mom about what happened. He was so busy watching her that he didn't notice Mr. MacAbee stroll up next to him.

"Get back to work, Abbott."

"Sorry Mr. MacAbee."

Mr. MacAbee away from Bright as he turned to watch the swimmers in the pool again.

"It's not like I was going to drop him, mom," Charli further explained, several feet away from the pool. "He weighs, what, sixty pounds?"

"That's not the point. It was dangerous and reckless, and I don't care if he started it."  
"I'm sorry. Next time I'll make sure we're near a soft surface."

"Charli," warned her mom.

"Joking, mom. Am I out of trouble now?"  
"Yes. Now it's your brother who should be worried since he didn't give me the full story."

Without another word, Charli's mother left her in search of Riley. For the rest of the evening, Charli spent the time playing basketball in the pool with her brother Alex and some new friends he made. Bright's and Charli's paths didn't cross again the night since both were busy doing their own things. When she got home, Charli was busy getting her school things ready. While she put things into her bag, she found her mind floating to thoughts of Bright, especially to thoughts of Bright's great chest. She chided herself for thinking shallow thoughts and warned herself not to get a crush on her neighbor. However, her efforts were in vain because Bright was exactly the type of guy she usually ended up falling for, even though she always tried to convince herself not to.

After completing her preparations for her first day of school, she glanced at her wall clock that now had the correct corresponding time. It was 11 PM, which meant it was 10 PM where she was from, and a couple hours earlier than she usually went to sleep. Nonetheless, a yawn escaped from her lips and a rush of sleepiness overcame her. Perhaps it was the accumulation of lack of sleep she received over the summer or, more likely, the day's activities had just taken their wear on Charli. She moved to her closet to grab her sleepwear. She changed into her PJs then went to the nearby bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. On the way to her bed, she glanced out the window and saw that Bright's bedroom lights were off. Shaking her head at her obsessive behavior, she climbed into bed and lay down. It wasn't long after her head hit her pillow that she found sleep.

The next morning Charli woke up bright and early. She had forgotten to set her alarm clock, but she somehow managed to naturally wake up an hour and a half before she would have to be at school. She showered quickly then went back to her room to pick out her clothes for her first day. After a few minutes of deliberation, she decided to wear her Oscar the Grouch tee that said "Scram", her khaki skirt that went to mid-thigh, and finally her favorite pair of Pumas. She walked downstairs to the kitchen so she could get herself some caffeine and breakfast to eat and found everyone else already there.

"Sweet caffeine," she said as she walked into the kitchen and towards the espresso machine that sat on the counter calling to her.

"Good morning to you, too," her mom teased her.

"Oh, sorry. Morning everyone."  
"We have to leave in about forty-five minutes so you can meet your new principal, get your books and ID card, etc.," her dad informed her as she made herself two caramel lattes, one in an oversized mug for her breakfast and one in an insulated metal canister for later. "And so I have enough time to do last minute preparations for my class, so make sure you're ready to go."

"Alright, thanks for the warning."

Charli took a sip from the mug in her hand as she moved to get a bowl from the cabinet then grabbed the box of Lucky Charms that they had bought the night before and some milk. She grabbed a spoon, then settled into one of the seats at the kitchen table. After she was finished breakfast and latte, she went upstairs to finish getting ready. She completed her essential tasks, such as grooming, and then grabbed her backpack, mp3 player, and purse, then walked back downstairs. When she made it back downstairs, she found her dad in the den, organizing some folders.

"Ready to go?" she asked him.

"Yep. Go start the car," Brian said, tossing her the keys.

Charli caught the keys in mid-air, then went the kitchen for her latte.

"We're leaving," she informed her mom as she grabbed her canister.

"I made you a lunch," her mom replied, holding out a sack lunch. Charli reluctantly grabbed the bag from her mom before mumbling a thanks. "Have a good first day, dear."

"I'll try. See you later."

Charli turned and walked out of the door, to the car. She climbed into the passenger side of the car, then started the engine. A couple of minutes passed before her dad came out of the house and got into the car himself. Seconds later, they were on their way to the high school.

It was about a fifteen-minute drive to the school. They pulled up to the school about 15 minutes before it started. She hadn't been able to register for her classes herself, but her dad had been able to do it for her. Now all she had to do was take a picture for a student ID, get some books, and find her classes. She took a deep breath, then got out of the car and walked to the school.

Charli and her dad walked down the halls and made their way to the main office. The halls were practically empty at the moment, but that was bound to change in a few minutes. She glanced around the halls of her new school and took it all in. The school was much nicer than the one she had been attending in Portland, and the halls were definitely more spacious. When they stepped through the office, they found the secretary sitting at her desk, reading a book.

"Pardon me, Luanne." Brian said, getting her attention.

The secretary quickly closed her book and looked up at them.

"Oh, Mr. Whitman, hello,'" she said. "What can I do for you today?"  
"I was wondering if Jack was in his office."

"Yes, sir, he is."

"He isn't busy, is he?"

"Not at all," she replied. For what seemed like the first time, she noticed Charli standing next to Brian. "Oh, this must be your daughter. Charlene, correct?"

"That would be an affirmative," Charli replied for her dad.

"Yes, well, you can go right on in."

Brian walked to a nearby door marked "Jack L. Evans, Principal," then knocked on the door.

"Come in," said a gruff voice from the other side.

Brian swung the door open and stepped in.

As Brian and Charli stepped into the office, Jack Evans looked up to see the two walk in, then rose from his seat.

"Brian, it's great to see you again," greeted Jack as he came over to shake his hand.

"It's good to see you too, Jack."

"Sorry I haven't been able to welcome you yet. I've been extremely busy these last few days."

"I completely understand."

"So, are you ready for your first day at County High?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Good to hear."

Jack then looked at Charli. 

"You must be Charlene. I haven't seen you since you were about this tall," he said with his hand held out at waist level.

"Yeah, that growth spur did me wonders," replied Charli.

"Yes, well, let me be the first to welcome you to Everwood and Peak County High."

"Actually, you're the fourth and second."

"Come again?"

"You said, 'Let me be the first to welcome you to Everwood and Peak County High.' Well, three people already beat you to welcoming us to Everwood, and Luanne beat you in welcoming us to County High."

"Wow, it's creepy how much she's like you, Brian," commented Jack.

A look of disgust spread across Charli's face, making Brian and Jack chuckle.

"Well, Charlene, I'm sure you have lots to do this morning before your first class. Why don't you go back to the office and ask Luanne to point you in the direction of the activities' office so you can get your student ID picture taken?"

"Okay. See ya later, dad."

"Have a good first day, honey," replied Brian.

"You too."

Charli turned and walked out of the principal's office. When she walked back into the main office, she found Luanne at her desk, reading her book again.

"Mr. Evans told me to ask you to direct me to the activities' office so I can have my student ID picture taken," Charli informed Luanne, grabbing her attention.

"Oh. You go out these doors, take a right, go down the hall, and then the third door to the left is the one you want. And after you do that, you should go to the library and show the librarian your schedule to get the appropriate books."

"Okay, thanks."

With that, Charli left the main office and walked off in the direction Luanne told her to go. Shortly thereafter, Charli arrived at the destined office that was clearly marked. She walked through the open door and a found a blonde, middle-aged woman sitting at her desk.

"The main office told me to come her to take my student ID picture."

The activities' director looked up at her.

"Ah yes," she said, opening a folder on her desk. "Name please?"

"Charlene Whitman."

The woman fingered through a small box that had several unclaimed ID cards in it.

"Okay, well sit down right over there," she instructed, pointing to a chair that was in front of a larger camera.

Charli did as instructed, and the activities' director came over to the camera.

"Alright, on the count of three, 'kay? One, two, three, smile!"

Charli forced a smile to grace her face before the camera flashed.

"Okay, the card will be ready for you at lunch, so just come back here during then. Do you have the fifteen dollars to pay for the card?"

"Yeah, sure," replied Charli, taking some money out her purse, handing it to the woman.

"Thank you. See you at lunch, then."

"Charli stood up and left the activities' office. When she got to the hall, she noticed there were quite a few more people in the halls. She realized she still needed to go to the library, but she had no idea where that was.

"Could you direct me to the library, please?" she asked a random girl who was about to walk past her.

"It's down this hall, take a left, and then you'll see it to your left."

"Thanks."

Charli walked off in the direction the girl had pointed to, and soon found the library. After seeing the librarian and getting her appropriate books, Charli slid on her headphones to listen to her mp3 player, then took out her locker assignment paper. It took her a few minutes, but she found her locker near the main entrance of the school, which was one of the top lockers. Once she got to the locker, she spun the combination and attempted to open the locker, but it appeared to be stuck.

"Only the best for the newbies, I see," she grumbled to herself.

She put in the combination again, then banged the locker with the heel of her palm. This time, when she tried to open her locker, it willing obliged.

"You know, you really shouldn't take your aggressions out on inanimate objects," she heard a faint familiar voice behind her say. "Especially school property."

Charli spun around and found Amy Abbott standing before her. She slid the headphones to around her neck.

"It's just a small dent, nothing major. Besides that wasn't taking my aggression out, that was my being frustrated with my damn locker."

"Yeah, well these old lockers just aren't what they used to be."

"So it appears."

Charli tossed her books onto one of the empty shelves in the locker, then also through in her sack lunch.

"So, what's your first class?"

Charli glanced at her schedule.

"Art with a Eugene Patterson."

"Ah, Mr. Patterson. He's a pretty good teacher."

"What do you have?"

"US History."

"Sounds like fun."

"Oh, it's a blast. Do you need help finding your class?"

"No. I figured out that the first number corresponds with the floor number, and that the East End of the school has the lower numbers and the West End has higher numbers," replied Charli, sounding like she's letting Amy in on some big secret.

"Well, I better head for class. Maybe I'll see you at lunch."

"Okay. See ya."  
Amy headed in one direction, while Charli started to walk in the other. Her art class was in room 217, which meant it was upstairs. Charli walked to the nearby stairwell, and went upstairs. Within a matter of minutes, she found the classroom. There were five minutes till classes started, and it appeared more than half the class was already there. When she stepped through the door, she felt all eyes on her. She knew it was probably because of the fact that she was an unfamiliar face. As she slipped her mp3 player back into her bag, she let out a sigh of annoyance before she began to head for an empty seat. Unfortunately before she could get to a table, the teacher stopped her.

"Before you sit, could I get your name? I decided it would be easier to take roll as you came in," the teacher told her.

"Charlene Whitman."

"Oh, you must be the new math teacher's daughter."

"Well, I prefer Charli, since that title is a mouthful. But if you prefer to call me 'The New Math Teacher's Daughter,' then by all means, go right on ahead."

"It appears we have a witty one on our hands," observed Mr. Patterson to the class. "Well, The New Math Teacher's Apparently Witty Daughter, why don't you take a seat on one of the available stools?"

"Will do."

She glanced around the room to find suitable people to sit with and saw a dark haired boy with a look of amusement sitting at a table with only one other person.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked the boy.

"Go ahead, Witty Daughter of the New Math Teacher. Or would you rather I call you Charli?" the boy asked Charli sarcastically, with a smirk on his face.

"Call me whatever you want, Funny Boy."

"Well, I prefer Ephram, but if you want to call me Funny Boy, then by all means, go right on ahead."

"Again, with the joking. I have the feeling that sitting next to you was the best idea I could have made on this dreary morning, you know, what with the hours of potential entertainment."

"I must warn you though, by your sitting with me, you are endangering yourself to the possible shunning of your new peers."

"Shunning, now that's something that is not foreign to me. Don't worry, I'll take my chances."

There was a pause in their conversation, before a realization fell upon her head.

"Ephram," Charli repeated his name out loud again. "You wouldn't happen to be Amy's Ephram by chance?"

"Well, I wouldn't label exactly myself as Amy's Ephram, but yes I am friends with her. Or at least was friends with her. Actually I'm not really sure what we are to each other anymore," Ephram stopped, realizing he was babbling. "Anyway, how many Ephrams do you think there are anyway? It's isn't exactly the most common name, especially in this little town."

"Touché."

"How did you meet Amy?"

"New neighbor. She seems pretty cool. Although her brother seems kind of" Charli trailed off, trying to find the right word or phrase.

"Like a jackass?" asked Ephram, finishing her sentence.

"Well, jackass wouldn't be the exact word I would have used. Maybe a pompous weirdo, but jackass works too, I guess."

"Well, that's Bright for you; his name is just an ironic front."

Charli let out a little chuckle. Before they could continue talking, the bell rang, and Mr. Patterson began talking.

"Hello class, welcome back. I hope you all had an enjoyable vacation. Today, as usually, we will just be going over class procedures, supply lists, etc., so make yourselves comfortable."

For the rest of the period, Ephram and Charli had to attempt to give Mr. Patterson their undivided attention. The 48 minutes of the class slowly and painfully went by. When the bell rang, signaling the end of their boring introduction to the class, the students was quick to collect their things and scurry out of the classroom. Charli glanced at her schedule and read that her next class, English, was on the first floor on the other side of school.

"So, maybe I'll see you around?" said Charli as they walked out of the classroom together.

"Yeah, sure, maybe," replied Ephram. "It's not exactly that big of a school. I'm sure our paths will cross again in no time."

"Right."

With that, Charli turned to her right and started to trek down the hall through the masses to her next period class. She managed to survive through the next three periods with only one annoying, "Let's get to know each other" first day sessions. At this moment, Charli found herself slightly lost. Granted she had spent a little too much time in her fourth period Calculus 2 class discussing with her teacher what book she was using in her previous year's calculus class and what material they went over. After a seven-minute talk with Mr. Lorvell, Charli walked into the hallway to find it relatively empty. She realized that most of the other kids probably had already made their way to the cafeteria, or library, or court yard, or where-ever the hell it was these Everwood kids ate their school lunches at.

Luckily her locker was nearby her math class, so finding her way to her locker had not been a problem. After grabbing her sack lunch, Charli made her way to the activities office. She quickly arrived to the office, then received her ID card from the director. Fortunately for Charli, the picture was decent, so she did have one less thing to complain about for that week. She slipped the card into her wallet, then walked out of the office. She glanced into her sack of lunch and surveyed the contents. She then walked in the direction of what she hope would take her to the cafeteria after discovering that her mom had neglected to put any type of caffeinated drink in it for her; more specifically any kind of pop. She slowly walked down the hall, glancing around the place for doors that would lead her to the cafeteria.

"Lost?" Charli heard a male voice from behind her.

"What gave that away?" she replied sarcastically as she turned around, only to find Bright Abbot standing before.

"It might have been the surveying of the hallway."

"Damn, and I was trying to be obscure."

"Well, next time you should try harder."

"Thanks for the advice."

Charli turned and continued to walk down the hall.

"Don't you want help finding whatever it is you are looking for?"

Charli turned back around and started walking backwards.

"And give you the satisfaction of a helping a damsel in distress? Uh, no. I'd rather be stubborn and be lost and find the place my self, thank you."

Charli swung back around and kept walking.

"Well, if you were looking for the cafeteria it's the other way."

Charli stopped and turned around slowly. Her nose crinkled as her face turned to a frown. As she walked back towards Bright, she saw a smug grin spread across his face.

"Oh, shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

"Not verbally, anyway," muttered Charli. "So, Bright, why don't you be my knight in rusty armor and lead the way to the cafeteria?"

"Rusty armor? It's first class for me all the way. Shining armor is the only way to go."

"Rusty, shiny, it's all relative. Now jump on your stupid horse and lead."

"What happened to not wanting to give me the satisfaction of helping a damsel in distress?"

"Agh! Nevermind, I'll find it myself."

Charli started to walk fast, trying to get quickly away from Bright.

"Awe, come on Whitman, I was just screwing with you."

Charli ignored him and she kept walking. She suddenly felt a hand take hold of her wrist and stop her. She spun and glared at the culprit, who was Bright as she had thought.

"Look I'm sorry. Let me start over," Bright said to her, a look of apology on his face. Charli looked at him skeptically as he slowly let go of her wrist then extended his hand. "Hey there, it's Charli, right? We met at the pool yesterday. You're my new neighbor, if I'm correct. "

Charli looked at Bright like he lost his mind.

"Yeah. You're Bright, right?" she replied slightly confused, but she decided she might as well play along with him.  
"Yep. Well, it looks like your lost. Is there anything I can help you find?"

"Cafeteria."

"Oh, well, that's over this way, let me show you where it is."

Bright started to walk in the direction she had been going before and Charli slowly followed him. As Bright led her to the cafeteria, Charli regarded him strangely. Bright turned slightly to look at her, and noticed the look on her face.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just, man, I thought I was weird, but youyou really take the icing on the cake."

"I prefer erratic, but if you wanna go with weird, be my guest."

"Erratic, huh? Did you learn that in your SAT prep class?"

Bright stopped at a set of doors then opened them to reveal a cafeteria on the other side. Charli's eyes skimmed across the cafeteria until they come across a Coke machine.

"Caffeine!" she cheered to herself quietly before she quickly walked to the machine to get herself a Cherry Coke.

Once she got her beverage of choice, she noticed that Bright was still standing near her.

"Well, Abbott, thanks for the help. See you around."

"Sure."

Charli started to walk past him.

"Oh, and Charli?"

She turned to look at him.

"I forgot to tell you this yesterday, but I love what you did with your hair," he told her with a smirk on his face.

Charli rolled her eyes, then took herself and her drink out of the cafeteria to find a nice stairwell to sit on while she ate her lunch. A couple minutes later, she found an empty, secluded stairwell to sit on, so she settled down on one of the lower steps. While she started to eat her lunch, Ephram was walking past in the nearby hallway that led to the stairwell and noticed her.

"Hey, is this step taken?"

"Not yet."

"Well, it is now."

Ephram sat down on the step above the one Charli was on. Charli noticed a book in Ephram's hand and grabbed it to see what it was.

"Manga? Interesting choice. My brother has this one, except it's in Japanese."

"You know Manga? I swear like you're the only other life form in this place who does besides me."

"Wow, that's sad."

"I know. Imagine how I felt when I got here."

"Oh, so you're not from around here. I figured that much."

"What gave me away?"

"The look of complete contempt and your ability to not blend in with the masses; something I'm familiar with. So, Funny Boy, where do you hail from?"

"New York."

"New York? And I thought I had a right to be pissed with the jolt of change. But you, that's like being a fish in the Pacific Ocean and now you're in a little gold fish bowl with one of those castles in them."

"Interesting analogy."

"I thought so."

"So, where are you from?"

"Portland, Oregon. Otherwise known as the city of nonstop rain, or as I like to call it, downpour central."

"So, you're not used the small-town life either, I take it?"

"Hardly. I need to be in a place where I'm unable to know or meet every single person in the area. And I need a place that I'm able to get lost in the crowd, has tall buildings, big libraries, and, most importantly, has a coffee shop on almost every corner. I have the suspicion that I'm never going to like Everwood."

"I know that feeling. But after being here for a little while Everwood isn't that bad of a town, it actually kind of grows on you."

"Now, is it the town or certain people, or rather a certain person, that grows on you?" Charli asked him mischievously.

"I'm not going to answer that."

"Ah, but that just makes you appear to have something to hide."

Before Ephram could continue, a voice interrupted them.

"Ephram, bud, what's happening? Who's your lovely friend?"

"Hey, Wendell. This is Charli."

Wendell slithered his way closer to the two and extended his hand.

"Hello, Charli. It's a pleasure to meet you, I am Wendell, babe magnet extraordinare." 

Charli, being polite, took his hand to shake while trying hard not to laugh, but as soon as she realized he was slowly moving her hand to his lips to kiss, she quickly ripped her hand out of his grip. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Wendell?"

"Yes?" he smiled at her.

"See these fingers?" she asked him, waving her left fingers at him.

"Yes."

"You ever try that again, they're going to curl up into a ball, and then make contact with your upper-body. Understand?" she said sweetly, smiling at him.

"Perfectly."

Ephram chuckled at the situation before him.

"Good."

"See you later, Ephram. And Charli, babe, if you ever need anything, and I mean anything, just ask."

"I'll keep that in mind."  
Wendell smiled at Charli, and then he left Ephram and Charli to themselves.

"Interesting friend you have there, Ephram."

"I wouldn't exactly call Wendell my friend, but he has helped me out in a couple of rare occasions."

"Right"

"So how was the rest of your-" started Ephram, before they were interrupted again.

"Hey Bonelick, talking to invisible people like your old man did?" Charli heard a male voice ask. Seconds later, Bright and two lackeys were standing before them. She knew the person who had spoken wasn't Bright, but she was curious as why Bright would hang out with a jerk like this guy.

"Oh, that was clever," Ephram retorted sarcastically. "You make that one up all by yourself?"  
The guy ignored Ephram's comment and turned his attention to Charli.

"You're Charli, the new chick, right?"

"What's it to you?"

"Just a piece of advice, it's not wise to hang out with losers like Brown here."

"What are you talking about? I'm not hanging out with you three," she replied, watching Bright closely.

Ephram chuckled at Charli's quip, earning a hostile glare from the two boys with Bright.

"It appears we've got ourselves a comedian," said guy number one's friend.

"I try."

"Well, Charles, when you're finished hanging out with pound scum, give me a call," said guy number one.

"Sure, right after that lobotomy I have planned for tomorrow."

"Catch you later, Charles," he replied, ignoring her comment.

With that he turned to walk away closely followed by his friend. Instead following their retreat, Bright hung back for a moment.

"Did you want something, Bright?" Charli asked him.

"I just wanted to apologize for my friends, they can be real jerks sometimes."

"And yet, you still hang out with them."

"Michaels and Haines aren't that bad, you just have to get to know them first."

"I'd much rather have that lobotomy I mentioned earlier. Now, if you're done apologizing for your friends, you can leave if you don't mind."

"Yeah, whatever. I was just being nice."

Bright turned and walked away from the stairway that Charli and Ephram sat at.  
"How can he hang out with guys like that?" Charli pondered outloud as soon as Bright was out of earshot.

"Five months ago, he was a guy like that."

"Not totally surprised. What changed?"

"His best friend came out of a coma."

"Oh."

There was silence between the two for a moment before Charli chose to end it.

"So, what were you going to ask before we were rudely interrupted?"

"Oh, I was just going to ask how your other classes went this morning."

"They were okay. I had French, journalism, and calculus."

"Interesting mix."

"I thought so."

"What do you have after lunch?"

"Gym, chemistry, and then theatre."

"Sounds like fun."

"Doesn't it?" she replied sarcastically. "I just can't believe I have to take gym. I thought I had that over and done with my freshman year."

"Not a fan of athleticism I take it?"

"Oh, no, I'm all about the athletics, it's just being forced to do so and earn a grade on it is ridiculous."

"I couldn't agree with you more."

There was a slight pause before Charli asked when lunch would end. 

"We still have a good ten minutes."

"Great," she said, standing up, followed by Ephram. "So, why don't you be a pal, and come with me to my locker, then we can go to yours. And then, you can help me find the gym?"

"Sure."

Charli started walking down the hallway with Ephram, and they made their way towards her locker. They soon arrived to her locker and she opened it up without it becoming stuck.

"So, Ephram, what does one do for fun in Everwood?"

"Get themselves into a drunken stupor?"

"Is this from personal experience or casual observance of those around oneself?"

"Truthfully? Both."

"Ah. Well, what else would one do besides get themselves wasted?"

"I'm definitely not the one you should be asking that question, seeing how my Friday nights have basically been open since I arrived in this drab town."

"Ephram, buddy old pal, now that I'm here, that's going to change quickly."

"Really?" asked Ephram, amused by Charli's confidence.

"Yes, because besides the snow and Amy, right now you are the only potential in this lame ass town that I see."

"Thanks, I think."

"You are indefinitely welcome," grinned Charli. She closed her locker shut, then link her arm around Ephram's. "Now, let's get to your locker so you can show me to my next class."

She pushed Ephram forward a little until he started to lead the way to his locker. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TBC- I know I finished it off kind of weird, but I didn't know what else to do. Hopefully, the next chapter will be out soon. Things to expect: You'll feel the Ephram/Amy tension. Experience more the bi-polarness of Bright. And maybe, just maybe, Laynie will make an appearance, not sure about that one though. Got any ideas, comments, appraisals, anything? Then just put them in a review, or e-mail me. Thanks!


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